This invention relates to a guidance system for agricultural equipment and more particularly to a counterbalanced sensing wand assembly for the guidance system.
Various agricultural machines utilize plant sensing wands mounted on the machine for sensing the position of the standing plants for various purposes. Typically, this sensing is for guidance purposes to provide a feedback signal to a machine guidance or positioning mechanism to assure proper positioning of the machine relative to a row of such plants. By way of example, such sensors and guidance systems may be utilized on cultivating equipment.
The sensing wands are affixed to a rotatable shaft. The shaft and wand may be biased to a predetermined angular position. As the wands contacts the crop, its angular position is adjusted whereby the angular position of the shaft reflects the sensed position of the crop relative to the machine.
The adjustment of the angular position provides an electronic signal to the guidance control system which provides output for connective action to the guidance mechanism. The guidance mechanism will adjust the movement of the implement or its relative components to affect lateral adjustment thereof and thereby also will move the sensing wands relative to the crops.
Often operators must use the wand sensing assembly on a field which has a side slope, i.e. slopes to the left or right side of the implement as it travels along the field. The wands would pivot toward the downhill side of the implement as a result of gravity acting upon the wands. This unintended pivoting of the wands would provide an electronic signal to the control system which would cause the guidance mechanism to incorrectly steer the cultivator. Consequently, the guidance system would not operate properly on a field which had a side slope.
One object of this invention is to provide counterbalanced sensing wand assembly for a guidance system.
Another object of this invention is to provide a counterbalanced sensing wand assembly which will permit adjustment of the counterbalanced sensing wand assembly.
Another object of this invention is to provide a counterbalanced sensing wand assembly which is rugged, highly reliable, uses a minimum of component parts and is economical to manufacture.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and appended claims, and upon reference to the accompanying drawings.